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Rumours of a potential redevelopment of the Palace Arms rooming house at King and Strachan have been swirling for years, and following the recent sale of the property, a proposal has now been submitted to the City of Toronto. The plan from Intentional Capital seeks rezoning to permit a 16-storey, 58.5 metre-high Sweeny &Co Architects-designed residential tower rising from the 1890-built heritage building at 950 King Street West.
While still preliminary and lacking fully fleshed-out design details, images of the proposal show a uniquely shaped tower rising from behind the heritage exterior. The new levels are pulled back behind Victorian architecture features like the signature turret at the corner of King and Strachan, before cantilevering out and then pulling back again from the corner at the upper levels.
The bulk of the heritage frontage would be occupied by 595 m² of retail at ground level, with 14,334 m² of residential space housed in the remainder of the heritage building and in the tower above. The proposal calls for 217 condominium units in a mix of 46 studio units with average sizes of 29 m², 120 one-bedroom units with average sizes of 55 m², 30 two-bedroom units with average sizes of 74 m², and 21 three-bedroom units with average sizes of 88 m². Instead of replacing the existing rooming houses on site, the plan proposes 28 small studio units—ranging in size from 21 m² to 41 m²—intended to be used as efficiency suite condominium units and as rental units.
Residents would have access to a total of 413 m² of indoor amenity spaces and 431 m² of outdoor amenity spaces spread across the second and ninth floors, and the rooftop. A three-level, 74-space underground parking garage is proposed, with 52 spaces for residents and 22 for visitors. Six of the spaces would be accessible.
Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.
